A/N: Guess who's actually updating on time? I know, it's CRAZY, right? LOL! So here it is, the final part of Gwaine! And a bit of shameless self-promotion here, if you like this, you should enjoy my newest Merlin fic, "Rosco the Time-Traveling Salesman," so you should check it out. ;) It's pretty funny! xD Thanks for all who reviewed, you're incredible! Review this and ENJOY! :D

Reflections

Chapter Ten: Gwaine Part 3 of 3

I really detest Uther Pendragon. Okay, so he doesn't execute Gwaine like Anti-Oswald wanted him to (that man actually said that nothing less than Gwaine's execution would satisfy him! What is with this man? He's planning to kill Arthur in the melee, he tried to kill Merlin with daggers and a sword, and now he wants Gwaine to be executed! I think he's jealous because he's really a big ugly man with no friends and he's getting revenge by trying to kill all of the good-looking men in Camelot. What's next; he's going to go hunt down Lancelot and blow him up with a ray gun? And then, just for kicks, he'll saunter through the BBC network and into Doctor Who and off the Doctor because he's so awesome looking and has a sonic screwdriver. Ha, just kidding. The Doctor would have turned him into Anti-Oswald Mush by the time Anti-Oswald could even draw a weapon. HA! Uh…Anyway.)

Anyway, I admit, at least Uther didn't execute Gwaine, or try to anyway. But only because Arthur's made of awesomesauce and he spoke up on Gwaine's behalf, reminding Daddy Dearest that Gwaine saved his life. But then what does Uther do? Banish the poor guy. Not that Gwaine would want to stay in Camelot after being a recipient of Uther's lovely hospitality. If I were him, I would have banished myself just to get away from his royal crankiness.

So Gwaine's got until dawn to get the heck outta Camelot, but he's cool with it. After all, he's got better things to do. Like coming to my awesome people party OF DOOM! A lot of you said you're going to attend, and bring noms, which is epic, because I can only get so much nachos and waffle mix and pickled eggs (for Gwaine, obviously). Oooh, and I borrowed Mario for the Wii and we're going to have Coin Battles while listening to eighties power ballads like "You're the Voice" – and then Merlin and Arthur are going to lip sync for us! Oh oh oh, and then, and then… we're going to play pin the tail on the Arthur Pendonkey! Arthur's not too thrilled about that, but he'll get over it. The winner gets to keep the Pendonkey as a pet! It's going to be EPIC.

Gwaine is dragged out of the throne room, after giving a stirring speech about how nobility isn't about your title but what's inside that counts (awwww, he should SO try out for Blues Clues. He could be the new host – totally awesome – and he could imprint important life lessons on impressionable young children. The director will just have to make sure that he doesn't also teach the kids about how much fun taverns are and why you should drink yourself into stupors…on second thought, stick to being on Merlin, Gwaine. You're too cool for those silly striped sweaters anyway.)

After Gwaine is dragged off, we get to hear Anti-Oswald and Anti-Ethan talking about how Merlin's onto them. And I'm thinking, "Yes, yes, yes! Finally, some evil dudes are going to go after Merlin! We're going to have some world class whumping on our hands! We'll get some tied up Merlin, or some conked out Merlin or (better yet) some tied up and knocked out Merlin! It's about time!" I know it sounds pretty evil of me, but come on. Be honest. How many of you were hoping for some Merlin-whumping – and an over-protective but not willing to show it Arthur running to save the day, along with his sidekick, Gwaine the Gorgeous? Or something along those lines? *tallies votes and confessions* Yup, what I thought.

But of course, our demented hopes are instantly crushed when they decide, "Oh, he's just a servant, you've seen what happens when a commoner accuses a noble, blah blah blah, so don't worry, we'll just let him run free. We won't even give him an ominous warning. He's nothing to worry about. So anyway, what about that new episode of Glee, eh?"

So basically they decide that Merlin isn't a threat and that they'll just leave him alone. Darn it! I'm never going to get my Merlin whumping, am I? Okay, so there was the Poisoned Chalice, but that was season one. And there was Halig and his interrogation, but that was season two. And yes, I know, there was Morgause and her interrogation and the serkets, which was a spectacular whump, but there was no concerned Arthur to save the day. *sigh* Ah well. My sadistic mind will just have to continue reading awesome fan-fiction like "How to Accidentally Kill a Warlock" –Heey, Kitty O! – and other whumpilicious stories to keep me happy! Please tell me I'm not alone here. I'd really hate to think I'm the only smiling sadist here. You know what, I'm just going to stop talking… *whistles nonchalantly and runs away*

Anyway, now that you've had a glimpse into the dark cavern that is my tortured noggin, let's move along, shall we?

Back in Gaius's chambers, Gwaine is getting all packed up to go and Merlin is telling him he's sorry. Hmmm, I'm getting a bit of déjà vu here, what about you? The swashbuckling dude with awesome hair saves one of the main characters. Said awesome guy gets busted for something. Awesome man with good hair gets arrested and have to flee Camelot. Is this not extremely reminiscent of "Lancelot" to you?

So Merlin and Gwaine are saying goodbye and this conversation (only slightly altered by yours truly) occurs:

MERLIN: I'm sorry.
GWAINE: Don't be. I never stay in one place for very long. People get sick of me too quickly.
MERLIN: I didn't.
GWAINE: Besides, I've got a party to go to tonight.
MERLIN: A party?
GWAINE: Yep. It's going to be epic. It's called an awesome people party and only the most awesome people get to come. It's hosted by this outrageously cool girl named Emachinescat. We're going to play games on the Wii, have a dance off, take turns holding her hand during the Spongebob Squarepants Movie, and in the morning, I'm making waffles!
MERLIN: Hey, I'm going too! We should carpool.
GWAINE: Sweet. With the way gas prices are rocketing, I wouldn't have it any other way. I can barely afford my weekly trip to Wal-Mart for pickled eggs anymore. Well, hey, I've gotta get outta here so Uther doesn't lob my head off in blind rage. Pick me up in Cenred's kingdom at seven. Later!

Okay, so that didn't exactly happen. Well the first three lines did, but after that… But still, they were thinking it! *pouts*

Gwaine tells Merlin to look after Arthur because he's in danger. To which Merlin replies, "Well, DUH! That's only the reason I snuck into Anti-Oswald's chambers and nearly got pinned to the wall, wasn't it? Nah, I just did it for the fun of it, because I wanted you to come save me and get kicked out of Camelot. It was all a part of an elaborate plot to get rid of you. Muahahahaha."

Really, Gwaine? I mean, nice thought, really, and I'm glad you're warming up to Arthur and that you think that maybe "this one's worth dying for," but it's kind of obvious. Ah well. Whatever. It was a nice thought anyway.

On his way out, he meets up with Gwen, who tells him she's sorry about what happened, and that she knows Arthur and he'll repay him someday. She says that he'll be a great king and Gwaine replies, "Clearly. If he makes everyone feel the way you do." AWWWW! Move over shameless flirting, hu-LLO heart-stopping romancing! Can I be Gwen just this once? Please? That was so… AWWWW!

So Gwen and Gwaine (just happened to think, if someone wanted them to be together, what would the ship name be? Gwen plus Gwaine equals Gwaine and Gwaine plus Gwen equals Gwen…their names are so similar, there's no way to really combine them. Except maybe Gwenaine but that's just stupid, or Gwainen, which is also stupid, but they're never going to be together so I guess this whole idea is stupid. Moving on.) say their goodbyes and Merlin frets about what to do about Arthur to Gaius.

MERLIN: I don't know what we'll do. (Me either, Merlin, but I'm sure you'll figure out something. I mean, you are THE Merlin, aren't you? Even the Harry Potter characters swear by your name – my personal favorite is "What in the name of Merlin's saggy left—" Heehee, don't worry, Merlin, you'll figure something out.)
GAIUS: I…could try and persuade Arthur to withdraw from the contest. (As if, Gaius. You obviously don't know your prince too well. He's too proud to do anything like that. Don't you remember what happened with Valiant? Again – déjà vu. This is like a combination of "Valiant" and "Lancelot," is it not? It's "Lancelant" or "Valilot." Heh. Okay, again with the moving on.)
MERLIN: He won't. I know Arthur. I'll have to somehow…use my powers to defend him. (NOOOOOO WAY, she said incredulously. However did you think of that crazy, brilliant idea, Merlin? You'll use your powers to defend Arthur… I can't believe you didn't think of it sooner, but, after all, it's not like that's what the whole premise of the freaking show is, now is it? I love you Merlin – more than you'll ever know – but please… don't be such a drama queen, er, king. Of course you're gonna use your powers to defend Arthur. What else are you going to do with them? Free the penguins from the zoo? Oy.)
GAIUS: With the king and half of Camelot watching? (Um, I don't think they're going to be staring right at Merlin, there, bub. Unless he jumps into the middle of the field shouting, "Alright everyone, I'm about to do something totally illegal to save this ungrateful dollop head's life, but just pretend I'm not here, okay!" I seem to recall a similar conversation when Merlin was going to use magic to reveal Uther's troll wife (*snort* Uther finally found someone worthy of him, didn't he? Oooh, burn, point LIZZIE!) in front of the council. They made a big fuss about it, but was there a need? No, Merlin just hid and did his thing. So why's this any different. Wow. So much déjà vu in this episode… )
MERLIN: (dramatically with dramatic music playing even more dramatically in the background of this dramatically dramatic scene of pure dramatic DOOM) I don't have a choice. (I do have to say, no matter how melodramatic the conversation was, Merlin is SUCH a hero and I love him for that. No matter what, he's always ready to throw himself into danger to protect those he cares for, and that makes him epically awesome and dispels any cracks I made at this conversation. Fair enough? Merlin. Is. Awesomesauce. On. Toast.)

So once again Merlin is going to put his life on the line for Arthur. Let me make a prediction… he's not going to get any credit for it, is he? *sigh* Merlin's a silent hero (well, besides the fact that he babbles a lot but that's not what I mean and you know it) and I just can't wait until the day that he finally gets the credit he deserves. I have to say, if I were Merlin, I'd be about ready to do away with all of them and say, "I'M THE HERO! I'M THE ONE YOU SHOULD BE CHEERING AND MAKING COOKIES FOR! ME! I'M THE ONE PROTECTING CAMELOT!" Gotta give him credit, if there's one thing he doesn't have a lot of, it's hubris. Which means pride. Not sure how I know that, but I think I learned it from one of T.A. Barron's books or the back of a cereal box. Hm.

Later on, Merlin's about to help Arthur get ready for the tournament and Uther decides to pay his son a visit. Nice dad, Uther is. I mean, sure, I think it's all sweet and sentimental that he gave Arthur the blade with which he won his first melee. But then instead of saying, "Good luck, son, be safe, I love you, don't get your head chopped off by some deranged maniac wearing a magic crystal out for revenge," he tells Arthur that Camelot is expecting a victory and that he trusts Arthur won't let him down. Geez, Uther, could you show a bit of pride in your son? Sure, he's arrogant, rude to his servants, and he has a short temper, I mean, a really short one, throwing things at people, and sure, he's a bit of a blockhead from time to time, and let's not forget how he can be so full of himself at times, and—wait, where was I going with this? Oh yeah.

Arthur may be a bit of a prat at times, but he's done a lot, mostly since Merlin came to Camelot, to make you proud. For the sake of all that is chocolate, he's won every stinking tournament you force him into, he's fought griffons and snakes and questing beasts and spiders and skeletons (okay, so Merlin played a big – alright HUGE – role in that, too, but so did Arthur. They're a team. Team Awesome, or Team Epic, or Team Pancakes, I don't know what their name is, but again, I'm off the point) and done EVERYTHING to prove to you what a hero he is and how proud he should have already make you. But you act like he's never done anything to make you grin and say, "That's my boy." You treat him like he's going to let you down, and if he does once and a while SO WHAT? You're his FATHER, you're supposed to act like it, not like some sort of high and mighty ruler. Okay, so yeah, I admit that you're the king, but that doesn't give you an excuse to treat Arthur like that! To be a good father, and to show your son that he does make you proud, you need to actually TELL him that you care about him, that you're proud, and I know you did it last season, but surely you can tell your only son that you love him more than once every other season. *breathes heavily* Wow, I'm really in a lecture-y mood this episode. Now Uther, what do you have to say for yourself?

UTHER: (squirms uncomfortably) Now, see here, I'm the king, I can have you arrested and put in the stocks and…
EMACHINESCAT: Aw, shut it. If you won't tell your son how proud you are of him, I'll just have to tell him myself. Arthur, your dad is proud of you.
ARTHUR: (eyes well up) He is?
UTHER: Now, I demand that you stop this heresy at once! It is unlawful to show any form of kind emotions toward my son unless he is about to kill me! He must never know that I, his father, think of him as anything but a prince that, despite all of his triumphs, will never be worthy of being called my son! So I order you to stop this –
ARTHUR and EMACHINESCAT: Quack.
UTHER: (screams and faints)
ARTHUR and EMACHINESCAT: (high-five each other and then jet pack out of the room)

After Uther is gone (Yeah, good riddance, King Doofer! Hee hee, Doofer? Uther? I just made that pun up on the spot… It's "punny" right? Get it? Punny? Funny? Aw, forget it.), Arthur puts the sword down on the table and we switch scenes.

Gwen's staring out of Morgana's window… Wait… Hold the phone. Something's missing here…what was it? Oh, I know! We seem to be lacking a certain evil lying she-witch OF DOOM in this episode! Where is she at? Probably out poaching baby seals, stealing pacifiers from newborns, pushing the elderly in front of semi trucks, or forcing innocent victims to listen to Justin Beiber non-stop, the nasty. You see, this is what happens when you let evil lying she-witches of doom wander off on their own.

How do you think World War I started? Yep, that's right. Morgana did it. World War II? Morgana. World War III? Well, that'll be between Teams Jacob and Edward over whether sparkly girly vampires or hot furry werewolves are better to snuggle, but still, we can blame it on Morgana. It's the evil lying she-witches of doom that cause chaos, and I'm sure that since she's not causing trouble in Camelot, Morgana is off wreaking havoc somewhere else. Yeesh.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, Gwen looking out the window, and…that's about it. Gwen looking out the window, looking worried. Next scene, please!

Anti-Oswald and Anti-Ethan are having a bad guy moment…you know the moment where they say something ominous and suspenseful music starts up? That moment! Anti-Oswald says he doesn't want Arthur to never know what hits him – if it's over too quickly, it won't be any fun. Real nice guy, eh? Still, what I want to know is how they plan on getting away with it. Just because they look like knights, as soon as Arthur is killed by a blade that looks like it's blunt but isn't (a sure sign of magic), somebody is bound to get suspicious, especially when they, I don't know, see Anti-Oswald run the prince through! I guess they can just take off the crystals and go back to being Dagr and Ebor again, and it would be like Oswald and Ethan disappeared… But still, I wish they would've explained that part of their plan a little better.

So, we're back to Merlin and Arthur getting ready for the melee.

MERLIN: You know those moments when I tell you something isn't a good idea? (Hey, he's recapping what he said earlier in the episode! You clever warlock, you!)
ARTHUR: And then I ignore you, yeah. (Point Arthur for the sarcastic cleverness!)
MERLIN: And then I'm proved right. (Point Merlin for a quick return!)
ARTHUR: Merlin, your concern for my well-being is…touching.
MERLIN: I'm serious. I think you should withdraw. (Arthur, I'd listen to him if I were you. Think about all the times he's told you something, you've ignored him, and then you've almost died because of it! Sheesh, how thick can you get?)
ARTHUR: Look, I know you think the melee is some kind of…stupid game. (Uh, maybe because it is. Although not as stupid as glow in the dark Frisbee, I'll give you that.) But it's more than that. It's about proving to the people that I'm fit to lead them. (Uh, wait, I'm confused. How exactly is getting yourself run through with an enchanted blade going to show the people you're fit to lead them? I think that you've done quite a bit to prove to them you'll be a good king, why do you have to do this? Oh right, because Arthur's a prat (remember, answer to anything!). Or maybe because Uther's a terrible father sometimes. Who knows?)
MERLIN: (nods) I know. (hands Arthur his sword) Just be careful. (AWWW, look at them, best friends, Merlin showing his concern before Arthur skips along to his death because he's a prat.)

MELEE TIME! And guess what? Guess what? I found Morgana! She's next to Uther, making grumpy faces! Morgana's here! Hi, Morgana! Hey, Morgana, after this is over, why don't you come to our awesome people party? Oh, don't look so flattered, Gwaine, Merlin, and I are going to practice giving swirlies and we need someone to try them on. Come on, all you'll have to do is let us stick your head in the toilet and then flush it – provided the poor toilet doesn't get sick from your evil lying she-witch of DOOM ways first, that is! Think about it, at least. And we still need a target for our poisoned dart practice. And of course, someone to clean up after our outrageous silly string battle to the death! See, you'll be of a lot of use!

Merlin runs into the crowd and stands next to Gaius, ready to interfere if needs be. Meanwhile the melee begins, and guess what? It really IS a bunch of knights running around and knocking the seven bells out of each other so that the last man standing can be called a winner. Completely pointless but positively brilliant to watch – kind of like most cartoons nowadays.

I'm not going to go into the details of what happens during the melee; you'll have to watch it for yourself, mostly because I could barely make sense of it myself, what with all the action and the fact that everyone is wearing helmets and it's very difficult to tell who's who. So I'll describe the melee like this: A bunch of knights ride around, hitting each other with blunt weapons. There's a lot of screaming and gasping from the crowd. Knights hit other knights who hit other knights. People fall off horses. And then…

One of the bad guys pulls Arthur off his horse (at least I think it's Arthur, once again with the helmets), and while they're fighting on the ground, the other baddie on a horse runs at Arthur from behind, and Merlin, our wonderful hero, makes him fall of the horse with a flash of his eyes. There, ya see, Merlin? I told you it wouldn't be that difficult. You've done it before and now you've done it again. Bravo!

And the melee continues. Arthur fights the two knights on the ground, someone gets hurt in the shoulder, although who, I have no idea. And then some mysterious knight comes and joins the fight, right after Merlin comments, "It's two against one."

Merlin then wonders aloud who that new knight is that's helping save Arthur. Hum. I wonder… Oh, I know! I'll bet it's… Edward Cullen! Huh, who do you think? This is Lancelot all over again, right? That information, plus the foreshadowing and the name of the bloody episode should clue you in there, Merlin! It's…

GWAINE!

So together, the mysterious fighter whom Merlin quickly figures out is Gwaine, and Arthur, defeat Anti-Oswald and Anti-Ethan. And of course, Uther, in his pure obnoxiousness, wants to have Gwaine arrested for killing two knights. Wow. Great plan, Uther. Arrest the guy who just saved your son's life.

But Gaius intervenes and takes off the crystals, revealing the scum hidden behind the magic. Hee, that was a pretty catchy phrase if I do say so myself. "The scum behind the magic." Sounds like some sort of cleaning spray commercial tagline. Um, anyway, moving on.

Arthur tells Gwaine that his father is resilient and that Gwaine still must leave Camelot. Grrr…stupid Uther. But, on the bright side, Arthur actually says that his father is wrong! Maybe there's hope after all!

Merlin later tries to convince Gwaine to tell about his father's nobility so that he could stay and become a knight. Gwaine refuses, at least for now, because he doesn't want to serve Uther, but he says he may return someday when Arthur's king, and besides, he can't miss the awesome people party he's going to in a few minutes anyway.

The end of the episode is wonderful! So Arthur and Merlin, BFFs!

They're watching Gwaine leave the city, and the following conversation ensues:

ARTHUR: It's a shame. He would've made a great knight. (Yes, he would have. *sighs and drools*)
MERLIN: Maybe one day he still will. (OOOH, foreshadowing, I like it! Well, that and the fact that Gwaine is known as one of the knights of the Round Table, although normally it's spelled Gawain, but whatever)
ARTHUR: The rules won't allow it. Knights are noblemen. Always have been, always will be. (Rules, schmules! I say knight the guy and be done with it! I mean, come ON, you yourself said that no one fights like Gwaine! Plus he's got great hair and I'd love for him to be a regular on the show!) It's a tradition. (Bah, tradition is for shmuks! I say knight the guy and be done with it! Whoa. More déjà vu. Weird. Maybe I'm in some sort of time warp or something. Where's the Doctor and his TARDIS when you need it, eh?) (Arthur sees Gwaine telling Gwen goodbye, jealous voice) They seem awfully friendly.
MERLIN: (grinning) Why should you care?
ARTHUR: I don't. (liar, liar, chainmail on fire!) She can do better than that!
MERLIN: What, she should be setting her sights…higher? (I have a feeling Merlin's on the verge of racking up some serious burn points here… Come on, Merlin, rile him up… Meanwhile, Arthur shrugs and nods, Merlin smacks his forehead (his forehead, Arthur's, although that would have been quite amusing!)) But oh, I forget! A girl, of Gwen's standing, she could never consort with a nobleman, that's against the rules. (POINT FOR THE WARLOCK – and the crowd goes WILD!)
ARTHUR: Merlin.
MERLIN: Shut. Up. (hee hee, gotta love him!)
ARTHUR: (smirking – oh no, Morgana's given HIM the smirks now, too! When will this affliction END?) You guessed it. (ooh, haha, point for the prat!)

And then to make the episode ending PERFECT, while Merlin is watching Gwen kiss Gwaine on the cheek (I can't believe it, she gets to kiss ALL the cuties!), Arthur grabs him by the scruff of his collar and shoves him around and forward playfully. They walk side by side while lively music is playing, and then Arthur pushes Merlin over to the side and when Merlin returns the gesture, they pause for a minute, and the Merlin takes off running, with Arthur right behind him. AWWWW-SOME! Get it? Like awesome except with AWWW because that was such a best friends, roughhousing brothers sort of moment. AWWW-SOME? Awesome? *crickets chirp* Alright, alright. I can take a hint. I'll shut up now.

Stats:

Burn Meter 5000:
Part 3: Arthur 2, Merlin 2
This Episode: Arthur 8, Merlin 7
Total: Arthur 24, Merlin 21

Shirtless Arthur Scenes:
Part 3 : 0
This Episode: 0 (I don't believe it! First one with no shirtless Arthurs this season. But wait, I forget – one shirtless Gwaine is equal to 10 shirtless Arthurs. Right. *giggles like a crazed fan-girl*
Total: 3

Smirk-O-Meter
Part 3: 1
This Episode so far: 1
Total: 23

A/N: So there you go – Gwaine! Tune in next Tuesday for part one of The Crystal Cave and more evil lying she-witch of DOOM-ing! Until then, review, and then you can steal lunch money from kindergartners, throw tomatoes at unsuspecting politicians, or play hopscotch in the middle of Wal-Mart. Whatever makes you happy! :) Oh, and don't forget to check out Rosco the Time Traveling Salesman – it'll keep you laughing while you wait for the next chapter of Reflections! Toodles! xD

~Emachinescat ^..^